City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

Abstract

Reviewed by: City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson Karen Coats Anderson, Natalie C. City of Saints & Thieves. Putnam, 2017 [432p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-54758-4 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-399-54760-7 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-10 Tina, a Congolese refugee in Kenya, finds herself homeless after her mother is [End Page 206] murdered in the home of her employer and lover, Mr. Grayhill. Believing Grayhill to be her mother’s killer, Tina enlists the help of a hacker friend and enters into a deal with a local gang and a ruthless crime boss to grab information about Greyhill’s shady dealings, deliver the info to a journalist, steal his money, and then kill him herself. She is caught at stage one, however, by Greyhill’s son, Michael, with whom she had played growing up. Together, they seek to find out the truth about her mother’s murder, but what they find puts them in more danger than they bargained for and reveals secrets that almost cost them their lives. As the mysteries of Greyhill’s criminal activity and Tina’s mother’s tragic past unfold, readers learn about the corrupt circulation of gold, money, and weapons between the businessmen and the militia in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the compromises people there must make to survive. Tina is a fiercely intelligent, scrappy, and resourceful character worth cheering for, and Michael is touchingly sympathetic as his faith in his father is wrecked by truths that seem as inevitable as they are tragic. The heart-stopping excitement is complemented by the warmth of the relationships between Tina and the people she loves; by setting a fast-paced crime drama with compelling characters in this fraught region, Anderson does the good service of interesting young readers in this ongoing human conflict and the tragic toll it continues to take on the people of the region. An author’s note and glossary are included. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois